Open Letter to Westmount Independent: Cycling Death on Forden Crescent

I wish to congratulate the Westmount Independent for its July 7 article "Collision on Forden claims life of cyclist".   Although there were a few other news reports of the June 16 collision,  no other news media followed up that the victim, a 29-year-old, gifted McGill PHD student from Freiburg, Germany died of his injuries June 24.  His was the first cycling death on the Island of Montreal in nearly 2 years.

   This  collision occurred at the southern entrance of Forden Crescent from Forden Avenue, an unusual, Y shaped, narrow  intersection with poor visibility between a north-bound car and the south-bound cyclist. If Forden Crescent had been designated a south bound, one way street, the north-bound car would not have been entering this narrow space in the first place.  This tragic event, like most collisions, was entirely preventable by safe urban design.

  Unfortunately, this safety-first principle does not apply to other planned changes to Westmount.  The same Westmount Independent issue that reported the graduate student's death, also reported that on Sherbrooke street  "the previous idea to remove one traffic lane in each direction had been ruled out".  The previous idea would have allowed for a protected bike path on Westmount's principal artery, the most dangerous street in Westmount for cyclists, yet one that many cyclists prefer due to its multiple destinations such as Vic Village.

   It is ironic that the victim's home town was Freiburg, which is known as the bicycle capital of Germany, famous for its low car use.

   The Westmount Independent demonstrates the necessary role local newspapers play in informing the public and provides a forum for raising important issues.

Malcolm McRae

Westmount